There is nothing quite like the feeling of crossing that whalebone bridge and knowing that Skyrim’s final boss, the almighty dragon Alduin, awaits you on the other side. This is a climactic moment that every Skyrim player is sure to remember… well, almost every Skyrim player. It turns out that the developer responsible for designing Alduin has never actually encountered his creation in game. He hasn’t even made it to the final area.
Game designer and artist Jonah Lobe, the man responsible for Alduin’s design, has revealed this information in a new documentary found on his YouTube page. The documentary, simply titled “A Skyrim Documentary,” celebrates the game’s 10th anniversary and sees Lobe reuniting with other developers who worked on the game. Together, they share stories on the game’s developmental cycle and reminisce about what it was like to collaborate on the project before knowing how big of a hit it would become.
It is during a segment of the video called “What makes Skyrim so special?” where Lobe reveals that he has never actually encountered his final-boss creation in the game. In the segment, Lobe talks with programmer Jean Simonet about how expansive the world of Skyrim is and how rewarding it is to get lost in the many side quests it has to offer. Here, Lobe explains that “I made the last boss of Skyrim, Alduin, and the whalebone bridge that you cross to reach him, but I’ve never actually seen them in game”.
When asked why he has yet to cross paths with Skyrim’s fiercest dragon, Lobe responds with “I just never got there, I was too distracted.” Looks like those side quests were just too good for Lobe to pass over and who can blame him. One of the best aspects of Skyrim is the free reign players are given once that introductory mission is complete. The ability to explore at your own pace and get lost in a world teeming with quests and stories is likely one of the reasons Skyrim is still so popular a decade after its initial release. Hopefully, Lobe will get the chance to see his design in action over the next 10 years.